Storage Jar

Stephen Merritt, Storage Jar, 1999, terra cotta, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Shelby M. Gans in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, on the 5th anniversary of his appointment as curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2000.67A-B

Stephen Merritt’s terra-cotta jars commonly present wide bodies that rest on a narrow foot. To create the surface texture the artist pressed an incising tool into the body of the pot while it spun on the wheel, creating a single, unbroken spiral that covers the pot. His pots are not only functional but become sculptural in their elegant forms and delicate surface decoration.